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The Internal And External Health Benefits Of Using Turmeric

The curative properties of turmeric have lent it to be used as a spice in Indian recipes and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. The healthy nutrients of milk team up perfectly with the anti-inflammatory qualities of turmeric.

Method

Drizzle a teaspoon of the warmed milk into the mug and mix until the liquid is smooth with no lumps.

Add the rest of the milk and mix well.

You can leave the pieces of ginger in the tea, or strain it out before drinking.

Turmeric can also be used in multiple ways externally for multiple conditions.

Turmeric Paste

1. Turmeric Paste For Psoriasis

Turmeric is now gaining attention in the Western scientific community for the treatment of various conditions, including psoriasis. According to the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric responsible for inhibiting skin growth factors that lead to psoriasis scales. It has also been used in face wash and face mask concoctions for years to help with acne.

Ingredients

¼ cup of turmeric powder

2 ½ cups of water

Method

To make turmeric paste, stir the mixture and bring it to a boil.

Simmer over medium–high heat and stir constantly until it reaches a thick honey-like paste consistency.

If it gets too dry while cooking, add some water.

Once cool, transfer the contents into an airtight glass container or jar. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to about a month.

To use, spread a thin layer of turmeric paste onto the psoriasis-affected areas of skin before bedtime. Use enough paste so that you cannot see the underlying skin, but not so much that the paste is falling off. Wrap a piece of gauze around the skin to keep the paste in place and leave it overnight. Remove the gauze and wash the turmeric paste off of your skin using warm water.

Turmeric permanently stains porous surfaces, such as plastic and clothing. It temporarily stains the skin, giving it a light yellow to orange color. Stains on the skin gradually fade over a few days’ time.

2. Turmeric Face Wash and Mask

Indian brides have been using this recipe for years to give them a beautiful radiant skin on their wedding day. But you don’t have to be walking down the aisle to gain the benefits from this face mask. It not only will brighten the skin but will also help with acne and age spots.

Ingredients

¼ tsp of turmeric powder

¼ tsp of neem

A few drops of coconut oil

Method

Place the turmeric and neem in a small bowl and mix well.

Place a small amount in the palm of your hand and add coconut oil, drop by drop, until you reach the desired consistency.

Apply the turmeric paste onto your face and neck beginning at the forehead and moving down, making sure to avoid the eye area.

For face wash, gently massage over face for about 30 seconds. It is a little gritty so be gentle. Rinse face with cool water.

To use as a mask, apply and let the paste dry; it takes about 20 minutes. Wash off the mask with warm water and then, after all paste has been removed, splash your face with cold water. Gently dry with a soft, clean towel.

Delivering All 6 Tastes

In Ayurvedic cooking, we want to make sure we deliver all six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent) in every meal. This balances the doshas, which leads to less imbalance and sickness.

I find that I can eat about one-third of as much food as usual and feel a sense of satiation when all the tastes are included in my meal, and this is a good thing in our age of giant plate meals. However, it also explains why those giant plate meals even exist.

In a meal that isn’t made to offer all 6 tastes, we continue to eat hoping that we will eventually find enough of these tastes and be satisfied. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, but either way we eat far too many calories.

Turmeric increases vata and pitta if consumed in large quantities, and it relieves kapha.

It is sometimes difficult to get all the tastes into one meal. One of the easiest ways to meet this requirement is to use spices. For instance, turmeric supplies the bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes with just one spice. These are sometimes the three harder tastes to add to a meal. Turmeric is a heating spice thought to help in diabetes and also promote good digestion.

Advantages Of Consuming Turmeric

Benefits Of Turmeric

There are many ways you can take turmeric: fresh, dried, and grated as a spice, capsule, or pills.

We know that turmeric is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiseptic.

It can relieve pain and swelling (known in Ayurveda as nature’s aspirin).

It can be applied to small cuts and wounds, helping with blood clotting, preventing infection, and healing skin.

Benefits Of Milk

Milk is a great delivery system for turmeric whether you use it internally or externally.

Adding it to turmeric increases the antioxidant qualities.

It fights free radicals that damage skin, making it lose its elasticity and glow.

It also strengthens bones, which helps with osteoporosis and arthritis (joint inflammation and pain).

Consuming milk with turmeric twice a day before meals will ease morning stiffness and reduce pain and swelling in the joint. But it’s the anti-inflammatory qualities that make turmeric milk a favorite for soothing sore throats and calming coughs.

Benefits Of Honey

Raw organic honey is often added not only for the taste but also for its own powerful antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties. Ayurveda considers raw honey as being a prabhava, a term that means the unexplainable special effect of a substance, that cannot be explained by rasa (taste), virya (the quality of energy released by an herb or food after eating), or vipāka (the final post-digestive effect of food that occurs in the colon and has an action on the excreta).

I am sure this is not the last word on turmeric. But for now, this information will hopefully give you a way to invite turmeric into your lives. My mission always is that you live healthy and happy every day, and if anything that you have learned from me helps you do that, then I have done my job well.

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional.

Peggy is an Ayurvedic Diet and Lifestyle consultant, Yoga Specialist, Peak and Power Pilates instructor, cycle instructor and a personal trainer with certifications from Kripalu and 500-hour Himalayan Institute.